The Malek-Ashtar University of Technology (Persian: دانشگاه صنعتی مالک اشتر Dāneshgāh-e San'ati-ye Mālek Asht'ar‎) is a university of engineering, science, and military in Iran. This university was opened in 1986. Its campuses are located in Tehran and Isfahan and Urmia(New branch). The university is named after Malik al-Ashtar, one of the most loyal companions of Ali Ibn Abi Talib. Malek-Ashtar University of Technology is often referred to "MUT" by the abbreviation.

The university does not provide free access and is not open to visitors. Visitors can only enter the university after getting permission from the person they want to visit. Their identification will be registered at the entrance and they should give a valid identification card that can be collected at the exit.

Malek-Ashtar University of Technology provides both undergraduate and graduate programs.

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In late 1981, the Iranian government brought together all military industrial units and placed them under the Defense Industries Organization (DIO).[1] By 1986, a large number of infantry rifles, machine guns, and mortars and some small-arms ammunition were being manufactured locally. They also established three universities to educate experts for Iran's industrial and research centers: Imam Hossein University, Baqiyatallah Medical Sciences University, and Malek-Ashtar University of Technology.

Malek-Ashtar University was approved in 1984 by the Iranian Ministry of Science, Research and Technology. It was then recognized as a university in 1986. It had only one campus in Shahinshahr, Isfahan. In later 1999, another campus was established in Tehran. Its faculties include aerospace engineering, applied sciences, electrical engineering, management and industrial engineering, marine science and engineering, materials and manufacturing technologies, and information, communications and security technologies, and rector as of 2006.[2]

In 2003, Iranian Space Agency was established in an uninhabited desert area in Semnan Province, southeast of Tehran. The Aerospace Research Institute affiliated to the Ministry of Science, Research and Technology is active organization in the space science and technology applications. Five public universities, one private university (Azad University Science and Research Branch), and one college (Civil Aviation Technology College) provide higher education and research in aerospace engineering.[4]

Since the 1990s, Iran started to develop a launch vehicle based on Shahab-3. The Iran Space Research Center started testing launch capabilities since early 2007 reaching 150–200 km altitude based on Shahab-3 series. In 2008, they developed a two-stage launch vehicle Safir-1. In 2009, they launched a satellite named Omid into orbit using the domestically built launch vehicle Safir-2.[4]

A number of foreign experts from China, North Korea, India, and Russia have cooperated with the Ministry of Defense of Iran.[7] The Research Center for Direct Biotechnology, which does not directly work on microbial weapons, is used as the center for biological researches and actively works with the Malek-Ashtar University of Technology, Imam Hossein University, and Baqiyatallah Medical Sciences University.[6][8] However, the Centers for Science and Technological Growth of the Biological Research Center of the Malek-Ashtar University of Technology, affiliated with the defense industries, are in charge of mass production of biological weapons.[7]

According to Iranian opposition groups, Malek-Ashtar University of Technology uses the center for chemical research and chemical engineering located in west of Tehran for a joint study with Imam Hossein University.[9] The opposition group National Council of Resistance of Iran (affiliated with People's Mujahedin of Iran, a.k.a. MKO) has claimed that since 1999, Imam Hossein University has been involved in chemical research in a much larger scale. One of groups linked to this university produces a significant amount of nerve gas in liquid, vapor, and powder form.[9] According to the opposition group, Sina Industry (Vira Laboratories) with more than 4,000 employees is another Organization run by the Defense Ministry. It is involved in producing chemical products. The Parchin Chemical Industries located in south of Tehran, is another center of chemical products. Another complex manufacturer near the city of Semnan is also engaged in producing nerve gas.[9]

However, besides the opposition claims, Iran is not known to possess chemical weapons. Iran is a signatory of the Chemical Weapons Convention, which bans chemical weapons, delivery systems, and production facilities.[10] Iran has reiterated its commitment to the CWC and its full support for the work of the OPCW, in particular in view of the considerable suffering these weapons have caused to the Iranian people.[11] Iran has not made any declaration of a weapons stockpile under the treaty.[12]